Atletico will not sell Alvarez, says Simeone

MADRID: Atletico Madrid will not allow forward Julian Alvarez to leave the club during the current transfer window despite interest from Barcelona, coach Diego Simeone said Saturday.
Last month, Atletico filed a complaint to FIFA over Barcelona allegedly tapping up Alvarez.
The Argentina international has also been linked with a possible move to Premier League champions Arsenal and was the subject of a rejected 150-million-euro ($173.4m) bid from Real Madrid in June.
“I think the situation is very clear. The club has made a decision that (CEO) Miguel Angel (Gil Marin) has explained very well,” Simeone told reporters ahead of a pre-season friendly against Manchester City in Seoul.
“From a sporting perspective, we’re very happy to have a footballer like Julian...
“We will help him continue to grow, continue to improve and continue delivering the best — which has been a tremendous amount — that he has given us over the last two years.”
Alvarez is due to rejoin the Atletico squad in two days’ time after taking a break following Argentina’s World Cup final loss to Spain.
While on World Cup duty, the 26-year-old said he “believed a transfer is best for everyone,” but did not confirm his preferred destination.
Alvarez has scored 49 goals for Atletico since signing from Manchester City two years ago.
“We don’t want to transfer him.

We didn’t accept the 100-million-euro offer, nor will we accept one for 150 million or 200 million,” Gil Marin told the club’s in-house media channel.
“I have no doubt that Atletico is the right place for Julian and that Julian is the center-forward for Atletico Madrid. We want to keep him.”
When asked about how Alvarez might be received by Atletico fans following the transfer speculation, Simeone